Office-indicator



No. 619,616. Patented Feb. I4, I899. c. w. REEVES. 7

OFFICE INDICATOR.

(Application filed May 26, 1898') (No Model.)

WRITE MESSAGE DEPOSIT MESSAGE Q F I 0 on on: or THESE- CARDS 1 0 PLEASE BE jaw vz.

EFIcE.

PATENT CHARLES W. REEVES, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,616, dated February 14,1899.

Application filed May 26, 1898. Serial No. 681,832. (No model.)

To aZZ whom; it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. REEvEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Golumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Office-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to office-indicators designed to be attached to office-doors and the like to indicate to callers whether or not the proprietor is within, engaged or disengaged, where he is to be found, the time of his return, and similar data, and provided with means to enable the callers to leave messages; and it has for its object to provide a device of the character referred to which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, attractive in appearance, and which shall also be durable and occupy but little space.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein Figure l is a perspective view of the baseplate or blank, showing the housing for the indicator-roller stamped up, the sight-opening being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the indicator complete. Fig. 3 is a vertical central transverse section, and Fig. 4 is a detail View of the roller.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the base-plate of the device, consisting of a flat blank formed of sheet metal or similar suitable material and of the configuration shown or of any other ornamental or fanciful shape desired or deemed most suitable for the purpose.

Struck up from the body of the blank is a housing 2 for the indicator-roller, having a front or face 3 approximately V-shaped in cross-section and closed at its ends by walls 4, struck up at right angles to the body of the blank, as shown, and forming brackets,

, each of which is provided with a perforation 5, forming bearings for the indicator-roller. The housing is struck up or down from the sheet-metal blank by pressing the latter between suitably-shaped dies in a manner well known, the face or front of the housing and its ends being formed in one integral piece with the body of the blank. At the end of the stamping or drawing operation cutting or trimming dies operate to trim off the edge of the blank and also punch out longitudinally along the apex of the housing an I-shaped slot 6, forming an opening, through which the periphery of the indicator is exposed to view and permitting the heads of the roller, presently to be described, to project through the transverse end portions of the slot, so that they may be engaged by hand to turn the roller. The roller comprises a paper tube 7, in the opposite ends of which are fitted wooden heads, each consisting of a cylindrical plug 8, which is fitted and glued in the end of the paper tube 7 and provided on its outer end with an enlarged disk 9. The roller thus constructed is inserted between the brackets 4 from the blank or base-plate 1, and screws 10 are screwed into the ends of the wooden heads through the perforations 5 in the brackets, forming journals, by means of which the roller is rotatably supported in the brackets. The paper tube has printed or otherwise suitably delineated on its periphery a plurality of notices-such, for example, as Out of the city, Engaged, and the likethe character of the notices of course being dependent upon the nature of the business of the individual proprietor. When the roller is mounted in place in the manner described, the housing covers and conceals the face of the roller, excepting that part which is visible through the slot 6, said slot being of a width sufficient only to display the notice that may be brought opposite said slot, thus displaying to View but a single message at a time. The disks 9 of the wooden heads of the roller project through the transverse ends of the slot 6 and may be engaged by the fingers and thumb to turn the roller so as to bring any one of the desired notices into view.

On the lower portion of the base-plate 1 is delineated the representation of a clock-dial, and in the center of the dial are pivoted by a rivet an hour-hand 11 and a minute-hand 12, which may be turned by hand to indicate the hour at which the proprietor-will return.

Arranged on the upper part of the baseplate 1 are two boxes or receptacles 13 and 14:

for the reception of cards, one of the receptacles, as 13,being intended for cards on which messages may be written and the other receptacle being intended to receive the cards upon which the messages have been written. The boxes or receptacles 13 and 14 are conveniently formed and secured in place as follows: Each box is formed from a single piece of sheet metal, which is stamped or cut out the proper shape and is bent to form one side, the bottom,and the ends of a rectangular box. Each of the ends is formed with projecting tangs 15, which are adapted to be inserted in slots 16 formed in the base-plate l at appropriate points, and are then bent down upon the back of said base-plate, firmly attaching the boxes to the base-plate, which forms the rear sides of the boxes.

The operation of my improved indicator will be readily understood. The indicator is to be hung or attached to the door in any convenient orsuitable manner. Then byturnin g the roller the desired notice may be displayed to view. Then the olfice is closed, the hour of the proprietors return may be readily indicated on the clock-dial, and if a caller desires to leave a message he withdraws a card from the receptacle 13 and after having Written the message thereon deposits it in the receptacle 14.

The entire device presents a neat and attractive appearance and occupies but little space and may be manufactured at slight cost.

I have described the tube 7 as being made of paper; but it is evidentthat the same may be formed of any material desired that may be suitable for the purpose.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an office-indicator, the combination with abase-plate having an approximately V- shaped housing stamped or drawn up from its body and provided with perforated end walls forming brackets for an indicator-roller, and an indicator-roller journaled in the said brackets beneath the housing, said housing having formed in its apex a longitudinal slot for displaying to View a portion of the periphery of the indicator-roller, substantially as described.

2. In an office-indicator, the combination with a base-plate having an approximately V- shaped housing stamped or drawn up from its body and provided with perforated end Walls forming brackets for an indicator-roller, said housing having formed in its apex a longitudinal I-shaped slot,and an indicator-roller journaled in the said brackets beneath the housing and provided at its ends with circular heads projecting through the transverse ends of the I-shaped slot and adapted to be engaged by the fingers or thumbs to turn the roller so as to bring any portion of the periphery thereof to View through the slot in the housing, substantially as described.

3. In an office-indicator, the combination with a base-plate and the housing struck up therefrom, of the indicator-roller consisting of a tube, heads each consisting of a cy1indrical portion fitted in the end of said tube and provided at its outer end with an enlarged disk, and journals arrangedin the ends of the said heads and projecting through perforations formed in the ends of the housing, substantially as described.

I11 testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES W. REEVES. Witnesses:

A. J. THATCHER, CHAS. W. LENTZ. 

